Exploration of the stunning Ora cave was the main aim of the expedition in 2006. We explored the cave for a week, working our way both upstream and downstream from the entrance, returning to our jungle camp on the rim of the mega-doline at the end of each day. The noise from the river was so deafening, we had difficulty communicating with one another. To take photos in a cave where there is no natural light is difficult enough anyway, but this was a really challenging situation for someone just starting out with photography. At the time, I shot on an 8 mega pixel Canon EOS 20D camera and a 10-22mm lens. I came up with a plan before the guys set off with the flashes. Once they’d left me, there was no way to communicate again. In the very big caves they used flash bulbs, but in the loud river passages, as seen here, they used strobes or flashguns and firefly slave units, which work with infra red, only going off when they ‘see’ the light from the main flash.
