Floating homes Photo

Photographer’s Note

Sandakan sits at north-eastern Sabah facing the Sulu Sea and it is commonplace to find Sea Gypsies along sea shores, and here you see floating homes along Lane Nam Tung City 10 (translated from local lingo Lorong Bandar Nam Tung 10), just off the main thorough fare coastal road. While we were waiting for early lunch, I wandered about and walked to the sea front looking into Sandakan Bay.

Being from neighboring state of Sarawak, I often read and hear alarming news about illegal Philippinos in Sabah, and only after this round-the-State trip have I realised the severeness of the social and political problems. It is needless to say that Philippines have claimed Sabah belonging to them. Undeniably, Sabah is so closely associated with sea gypsies, Sulu and Bajau that drawing a line is quite difficult.

Read interesting articles here, and look at maps here and here, and you will probably get some idea of what I am trying to say. The exodus of sea farers from Philippines to Borneo is amazing, worth migration books to tell the story. Suffice to say, that some of what I saw and captured on camera may perhaps give indication of this social pattern. Life is...? For the time being, it is home floating on water.

EXIF DATA
DateTime - 2008:03:09 10:37:17
ExposureTime - 1/250 seconds
FNumber - 5.60
ISOSpeedRatings - 100
FocalLength - 70.00 mm

siamesa, dareco, bakes888, snunney, jusninasirun, kiwi_explorer, kevinos, noborders, avene, Greg1949, Truja, makis, mafegan has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

siamesa (12680) 2008-04-19 10:38

Hi Bill,
Excellent documentary about what happen there in Sabah. I think that in all the world there are this problem involving peoples that want to improve their lifes.Very good picture.
Regards
Maria

dareco (17104) 2008-04-19 13:09

A very sad picture, but reality. It's so hard for me to imagine that children grow up in homes like this, although I've seen it alot. I always say, since I'm a sleepwalker that CAN'T swim these homes are real nightmares to me. TFS

Bluejeans (32021) 2008-04-19 16:07

Ola Bill,
Nossa , parece uma cena tirada de um filme pessoas a viver em cima de agua em casas de madeira , essas aguas devem ser bastante poluídas pela quantidade de lixo junto da passadeira ,voltando a foto é uma foto bem interessante , boas cores, parabéns!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

PaulVDV (5144) 2008-04-19 16:13

Hi Bill,
I always found it admirable how people are able to build their homes on water.
I've seen houses on stilts in reality and the wooden bridges they built to go from one house to another often looked dangerous to me but in another way like a piece of art.
Your picture shows a way of living comparable with what I've seen. But here you write that this are floating houses. So not quite the same.
Kind regards, Paul

batalay (20810) 2008-04-19 18:22

Hello Bill,

You photograph is first rate, and the short essay a very good lesson in photojournalism. I looked at the maps and saw the articles that complement your presentation. I've visited Johor Bahru and Kuala Lampur, but not Sabah or Sarawak. Sabah may be the island on which the oldest continuous forest, over a million years old, is found.

Warm regards,

Bulent

bakes888 (18101) 2008-04-19 21:19

Hi Bill. Hope they don’t mind a bit of damp ;-). Nice photo. Well composed with natural lead-in and good balance. Natural colours also. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Paul.

snunney (34610) 2008-04-20 1:11

Hello Bill,
A good daily life capture of these watery homes. The point of view is well chosen with the rickety gangway leading the viewer into the scene. Very good tones and textures. Thanks for sharing.

jusninasirun (10150) 2008-04-20 1:18

Thanks for sharing this image of the floating homes in Sandakan. I've never been there but I have heard of this daily life scene. Good sharpness and clarity and the jetty makes good leading perspective. So different with the chalets on stilts. Well done and best regards. Jusni

Miha2ou7 (4901) 2008-04-20 2:35

Hey Bill,

Great and sharp. You really cant run out of motives there, and this one is great too. Love the clarity and the POV. Its pretty much optimal for capturing everything in. Including the mood. Which I can clearly sense, no matter if there are no inhabitants here. :)
Great job.

See you around.

kiwi_explorer (12195) 2008-04-20 2:38

Hi Bill,
What a fantastic capture .... a very good documentary photo. Your notes is also very informative and interesting. I like the image clarity and strong contrast. Well captured and composed ... good leading line created by the wooden planks. Tfs
Cheers,
Renier

TopGeo (21639) 2008-04-20 5:30

Very strong documentaries,Bill here! A very good work. How why it? is thus? him I know also! I believe that the reportage of this region has impressive and interesting description of reality. The picture has all the elements that you write to us it says.
Georgios

dvlazar (6474) 2008-04-20 16:53

An interesting sight to see - floating houses on the ocean. This is amazing how they were constructed and that people live in them.
Thanks for sharing that with us.

delkoo (34158) 2008-04-20 23:21

hi bill
A good choice for this setting,nicely framed by the "bridge" in diagonal, leading to the floating houses.

best regards
didier

kevinos (6927) 2008-04-21 0:14

A very informative presentation of this typical water village (kampong ayer). I like the use of the strong diagonal line to make the composition. It ppases from bottom left, nearly to top right and give a sense of movement and interest to the composition. Regards kevin

skippy007 (6963) 2008-04-21 0:29

Hello Bill,
Thanks for sharing this image of the floating homes, Nice clear shot & full of detail & interesting story, Complete contrast to some of your earlier shots.
Thanks
Santo

noborders (14199) 2008-04-21 11:00

Very interesting and so different ! I like to see how people are living in different parts of the world, those weather battered houses may not be palaces but to our eyes, they look really special and interesting !
TFS and compliments,
Cath.

avene (10940) 2008-04-23 4:01

hello Bill,
first of all, thanks for the informative note, I read the article and looked at the maps, and I feel I learned something new today. thanks.
second, I like a lot the title you have chosen, I find it fits perfectly the story in your note both literally and as an allegory.
finaly, about the photo itself - I like it a lot, especially the strong composition with the path leading the eye towards the houses. but what I like most is the green-blue water, it has a unique thick quality of molten glass that I've noticed in several other photos you have posted and that I like a lot.
excellent work, my compliments.

with best regards,
Kristine

Greg1949 (8507) 2008-04-23 9:17

Bill, I like this one a lot. The sky has enough color and cloud so as to not detract from the interesting detail in the center fg. The level of detail is also very good as are the subtle colors. Well seen and captured..

Greg

Truja (4948) 2008-04-25 5:34

Hi Bill,
I like the POV that you have chosen, because you show an excellent perspective to us of the floating houses crossing the image in diagonal.
Also we can appreciate the peculiar architecture of these constructions. The so smooth and placid tonalities add a force of mystery to the image.

Regards and happy weekend,

Jordi

Nolme (5290) 2008-04-25 11:57

the malaysia is a beautiful country, very different from my island Mediterranean (Corsica).
I love this picture that shows me another way of life than mine.
thank you for sharing
Marie

makis (282) 2008-04-29 9:14

Hello Bill,
again a very nice composition here. Very interesting note too.
Regards
Thomas

waminda2020 (409) 2008-05-06 14:24

Bill, thankyou for your critique - I can see that diagonal line you were speaking about in this photo. Good composition and human interest with regard to the homes themselves - well done

foozi (4689) 2008-06-07 7:11

Hello Bill,
thanks for the WS. It is good to have different ideas. I like the floating bridge here, and it becomes a guiding lines to the house.Great texture and its not difficult to get one boy smiling at you cos he in the thirds.
Great piece.

Regards,
Foozi

mafegan (4115) 2008-07-10 21:58

Hello Bill
Thanks for sharing this image which shows how many people live. Excellent point of view, Marlene