Mt Bromo Time Lapse: Captivating Movie of Indonesia’s Majestic Volcano

by Martien Janssen | Asia, Indonesia, Travel Blog

Mt Bromo time lapse: Bromo like you have never seen before!

Ever since I first saw a photo of Mt Bromo, years ago, it has been at the top of my bucket list. Finally the time had arrived to visit it during my Indonesia trip. And I didn’t just come to take a few photos. No, I had some big plans for capturing Mt Bromo. The plan was to create a great photo series and a Mt Bromo time lapse movie of this stunning location with several volcanos, dormant and active. I planned my visit way ahead to time when the Milky Way would be in perfect position and when the moonlight would be minimal.

Shooting the Mt Bromo time lapse

Initially I planned 10 days here. But the weather conditions were just so bad, that barely any night was good for shooting time lapses. Mist and dew were the main problems. I extended my stay to 16 days, but even that wasn’t enough. I then had to go back to Bali (long story…) to get my visa extended. Later, when I was supposed to travel through Java, I returned to Bromo for another 10 days. Yet facing the same issues and again I extended for another 7 days, missing out on Java completely. I’ll be back though, but I didn’t want to leave Bromo without getting what I wanted.

Altogether a staggering 25.000 photos were shot for this movie. Many hours were spend chasing the right conditions. And even more hours were lost because of changing weather conditions and failed attempts. But that’s the challenge of landscape photography and in particular time lapse photography. Projects like these don’t come easy. Now enjoy the movie and let me know what you think!

At the same time I was also working on a whole new project, ‘TimeScapes’. TimeScapes is about capturing time and light and taking the meaning of photography, ‘drawing with light’, to a whole new level. More about all that in my next post!

Gear & Software used for the movie

Cameras: Nikon D750 + D800 + Sony RX100iv.

Lenses: Nikon 20/1.8 + Nikon 16/2.8 fisheye + Nikon 28-300/3.5-5.6

Tripods: Sirui N2205 tripod + Cullmann mini tripod

Accessories: Syrp Genie Mini

Apps: Photopills app for planning. QDSLRDashboard for time lapsing.

Software: Bridge + Photomechanic for image viewing. Photoshop + Lightroom for editing. LRTimelapse for creating smooth time lapses and deflickering. After Effects for composing the time lapse movies.

(Music ‘Bloodstorm’ by Simon Wilkinson, www.thebluemask.com)

Links to other Mt Bromo articles and works

Plan on visiting Mt Bromo? Read my Mt Bromo Travel Guide.

Going to photograph Mt Bromo? Read my Mt Bromo Photography Guide!

Want to see my ‘regular’ Mt Bromo photos and time lapse, check out my Mt Bromo portfolio section.

Don’t miss the complete TimeScapes portfolio section!

Follow my Travel Imagez Instagram account for awesome photos & videos!
Like my Travel Imagez Facebook page to follow me on all my updates!
Subscribe to my Travel Imagez Youtube channel to stay updated on all my time lapse & drone videos!

124 Comments

Andrew Kevin Alpin on July 23, 2017 at 10:19 am

this is really something, awesome in fact, loved the video
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- Martien on July 23, 2017 at 11:24 am
  
  Thanks Andrew!
  Reply
kat on July 23, 2017 at 10:33 am

Oh my, this is awesome! Great work, really!
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- Martien on July 23, 2017 at 11:23 am
  
  🙂 Thanks!
  Reply
paras dhankecha on July 23, 2017 at 11:12 am

Super video. Love this
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- Martien on July 23, 2017 at 11:23 am
  
  Thanks Paras!
  Reply
Rikki Singh on July 23, 2017 at 5:24 pm

OMG! Your Videos was Awesome… I Never seen like this before.
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- Martien on July 24, 2017 at 5:06 am
  
  Thanks:)
  Reply
Farah on July 23, 2017 at 9:31 pm

This was fascinating 🙂 I love it.
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- Martien on July 24, 2017 at 5:05 am
  
  Thanks!
  Reply
Michal on July 24, 2017 at 3:09 am

Fantastic!
Haven’t seen so great piece of work for a long time, man!
Absolutely stunning! Well done
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- Martien on July 24, 2017 at 5:04 am
  
  Thanks Michal, so good to hear 🙂
  Reply
Oana on July 24, 2017 at 7:31 am

Wow this is so beautiful to watch, congrats for capturing this. I understand why this place was on the top of your bucket list, it is a paradise for photographers.
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- Martien on July 26, 2017 at 2:19 am
  
  Exactly:) thanks!
  Reply
Flo on July 24, 2017 at 7:53 am

This video is absolutely captivating – you should be so proud of yourself! I can only imagine the amount of time, work, sweat and tears that went into producing this. Thanks for sharing your masterpiece!
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- Martien on July 26, 2017 at 2:19 am
  
  True! Thank you so much!
  Reply
Evelyn Balladares Rail on July 24, 2017 at 1:07 pm

Gracias por todo lo que pude percibir! Felicitaciones!

<3
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- Martien on July 26, 2017 at 2:17 am
  
  Gracias 🙂
  Reply
My Travelogue by Bhushavali on July 24, 2017 at 5:19 pm

OMG! Its just breathtaking!!! Such an awesome timelapse video!!!
Just like how someone’s photo to Mt Bromo kindled your wish to get there, now your video has kindled me!
That’s such an extensive planning that you’ve done! All your effort has paid off! This is mind blowing!
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- Martien on July 26, 2017 at 2:17 am
  
  Thank you so much!
  Reply
Brooke on July 25, 2017 at 7:16 am

Very impressive scapes! I can’t believe you got this in only 10 hours-I know nothing about videography but looks like such a cool and passion filled profession-what a great gig!
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- Martien on July 26, 2017 at 2:16 am
  
  You misread, hundreds of hours went into all of it!
  Reply
Danik on July 25, 2017 at 8:26 am

This video is totally amazing! Stunning in fact!
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- Martien on July 26, 2017 at 2:14 am
  
  Thanks Danik!
  Reply
Pericles Rosa on July 25, 2017 at 8:58 am

Amazing !!
All the time you spent there wasn’t wasted at all.
Congrats.
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- Martien on July 26, 2017 at 2:14 am
  
  Thanks:)
  Reply
Joaquim Miro on July 25, 2017 at 12:22 pm

This place looks absolutely stunning!! I will need to make my way towards Mt Bromo ASAP! Loved the video 🙂
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- Martien on July 26, 2017 at 2:13 am
  
  Thanks!
  Reply
Timex t49939 on July 26, 2017 at 6:45 am

Awesome video … Thank you !?
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:12 am
  
  thanks!
  Reply
Ada on July 26, 2017 at 4:06 pm

wow that video is unreal! You took fantastic photos and turned them in such a piece of art! I can’t wait to visit Indonesia one day! I haven’t hear about the volcano yet, as obviously everyone is talking mostly about Bali but I am glad I see it now, so I can go there and see it in my own eyes!
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:10 am
  
  Thanks Ada, it’s worth the side visit from Bali!
  Reply
Shannon on July 27, 2017 at 3:49 am

Love your video! Interesting and great work. Great pictures comes from great photographers skill.
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:08 am
  
  thanks 😉
  Reply
Yaya Natsumi on July 27, 2017 at 7:55 am

Your video is awesome! I love it! < 3
Reply
- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:08 am
  
  thanks!
  Reply
Betty Liew on July 27, 2017 at 3:37 pm

Nice work and is beautiful.
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:07 am
  
  thanks!
  Reply
Dinesh on July 27, 2017 at 4:08 pm

Like the way you have described mt bromo.. The video is mesmerizing
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:56 pm
  
  Thanks:)
  Reply
Chuojashni Subramaniam on July 27, 2017 at 5:19 pm

This is so beautiful! So lucky to witness something like this on your own.
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:07 am
  
  True 🙂
  Reply
Miera on July 28, 2017 at 1:11 am

This is just sheer amazing, but yes, you need a damn good camera for all these.. huhuhu…
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:06 am
  
  you need skills more than a good camera 😉
  Reply
racheal on July 28, 2017 at 2:15 am

wow…it seens many times, things will not be as planned. you did a great shot there! im so enjoy reading and watching this.
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:05 am
  
  good to hear, thanks!
  Reply
Maria on July 28, 2017 at 12:57 pm

Oh my god, this video seems unreal! It’s so beautiful what you did there, congrats! <3
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:05 am
  
  thanks!
  Reply
Lyf&Spice on July 28, 2017 at 1:43 pm

Oh boy! This is gorgeous. I am currently at Indonesia and just hiked today. Lovely place. Cheers!!
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:04 am
  
  thanks!
  Reply
Blair villanueva on July 28, 2017 at 1:55 pm

It is jaw dropping and majestically beautiful. You did it greatfully!
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:02 am
  
  thanks!
  Reply
WhodoIdo on July 28, 2017 at 2:51 pm

The time lapse video is incredible! I have put Mt Bromo on the top of my bucket list since reading your previous post and watching this video! Your work is truly outstanding.
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:02 am
  
  thanks! glad you did 🙂
  Reply
Izuken on July 28, 2017 at 4:51 pm

Very educative! Thanks for sharing
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:01 am
  
  thanks!
  Reply
Jennifer on July 28, 2017 at 6:34 pm

Absolutely stunning video! I would love to see Mt Bromo in person.
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:01 am
  
  Thanks 🙂
  Reply
Ilene Modica on July 28, 2017 at 6:52 pm

I am blown away. I think I need to add more videos to my blog posts as it really does make quite an impact. Great post, thank you.
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 2:00 am
  
  Thanks!
  Reply
Clara on July 28, 2017 at 6:53 pm

Your video is simply stunning! 🙂 Hope to see this amazing place in person one day 🙂
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 1:59 am
  
  Thanks Clara!
  Reply
Cath on July 28, 2017 at 8:15 pm

Fantastic, captivating video. I’m adding this to my Indonesia to do list
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 1:45 am
  
  thanks!
  Reply
Madison on July 29, 2017 at 12:07 am

This is awesome! I loved that you specified what gear you used, very helpful post!
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 1:42 am
  
  thanks 🙂
  Reply
Jia Shin Lee on July 29, 2017 at 2:33 am

Such effort you’ve made to make this time lapse video! Thank you for sharing it with us.
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 12:13 pm
  
  True, it’s often not realized, but a lot goes into it. Thank you 🙂
  Reply
Alicia on July 29, 2017 at 6:32 am

Stunning! Thanks for listing the gear and software. No one ever does and that’s so helpful!
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 12:12 pm
  
  Thanks Alicia 🙂
  Reply
Sandy Dobbs on July 29, 2017 at 6:46 am

This is so cool! I am a photographer but have never tried doing time-lapse photography. I think it is incredibly hard to do, and you did an amazing job! Love how you listed all of the gear and software that you used.
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 12:11 pm
  
  Thanks! To do a day or night time lapse isn’t very hard by itself. But it takes a lot of time, luck and patience. To do a project like this altogether is very hard yes. A lot is involved and hundreds of hours were spend on it.
  Reply
Xander on July 29, 2017 at 6:56 am

I wish i had my own camera and get more into photography. You have such amazing skills. Keep it up
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 12:09 pm
  
  Thank you so much!
  Reply
Corinne on July 29, 2017 at 7:58 am

Martien, Kudos…maybe it took ten days but it was worth it.
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 12:07 pm
  
  10 was the plan, but it took over a month!
  Reply
Saumyata on July 29, 2017 at 8:18 am

Incredible and amazing!!
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 12:06 pm
  
  Thanks 🙂
  Reply
Samantha Sparrow on July 29, 2017 at 8:51 am

Wow. Just wow. You have such incredible skills and it’s such a beautiful place. What a stunning capture!
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- Martien on July 29, 2017 at 12:06 pm
  
  Thanks Samantha! Keep an eye out for the next post, you haven’t seen anything like the new ‘timescape’ movie 😉
  Reply
James on July 29, 2017 at 6:28 pm

The time lapse video of Mount Bromo is fascinating. Time lapse videos are something that really interests me and I have been trying to get into for years now. I see with the equipment you used and editing that creating these movies takes a lot of skill, I appreciate your creating of this video.
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- Martien on July 30, 2017 at 11:33 am
  
  Thanks James!
  Reply
Janine Thomas on July 29, 2017 at 7:50 pm

What a beautiful place. You have incredible patience to shoot 25 000 pics, however the end result is spectacular. Well done! I look forward to your next movie.
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- Martien on July 30, 2017 at 11:32 am
  
  You can say that yes! Thanks 🙂
  Reply
Hannah on July 29, 2017 at 10:07 pm

Amazing! I never even knew that a place like this existed. Thanks for sharing.
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- Martien on July 30, 2017 at 11:31 am
  
  Thanks:)
  Reply
Tamshuk on July 30, 2017 at 7:22 am

This is absolutely stunning.. I’ve been waiting to go to Bromo for a while now..
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- Martien on July 30, 2017 at 11:30 am
  
  Thanks!
  Reply
Rob Taylor on July 30, 2017 at 3:42 pm

Wow. Phenomenal video. I just made my whole family watch this. The night sky truly captured what I’ve tried to explain to my kids about us spinning in the universe. Truly, I’m absolutely in awe of this piece of work.
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- Martien on July 31, 2017 at 6:11 am
  
  Thank you so much Rob, hope they enjoyed it!
  Reply
Ashley Smith on July 30, 2017 at 4:30 pm

This is unreal! First of all, I’m already a huge fan of timelapse footage but this blew me away. And what a gorgeous place! I love knowing there are still wild, natural parts of our world that exist.
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- Martien on July 31, 2017 at 6:09 am
  
  Thanks Ashley!
  Reply
One and Half backpacks on July 30, 2017 at 8:27 pm

This was one of the best videos I have ever seen, such a high quality 🙂 amazing 🙂 Mt Bromo is my dream to visit and your video is just wonderful.
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- Martien on July 31, 2017 at 6:08 am
  
  Thanks, means a lot!
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Ambuj Saxena on July 30, 2017 at 8:34 pm

It’s incredible the way you have planned your visit to Mt Bromo in order to capture it in full glory! Hats off! Loved reading your post. I am not too much into photography so dont understand much of the Photography-related jargon but I know that you have captured the essence of the place very well.
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- Martien on July 31, 2017 at 6:08 am
  
  I believe so too. Thanks!
  Reply
Elizabeth on July 30, 2017 at 8:38 pm

Big fan of your work, the time and dedication you put inn to bring us these amazing videos and captures is incredible. Love that you also added all the equipment you used and information. Keep up the fantastic work.
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- Martien on July 31, 2017 at 6:06 am
  
  Thank you so much Elizabeth, great to hear it’s appreciated 🙂
  Reply
Enrico on July 31, 2017 at 2:59 am

That’s incredible! I can’t imagine how many hours of work there are behind it.. It’s impressive, great job
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- Martien on July 31, 2017 at 6:04 am
  
  Thanks a lot Enrico 🙂
  Reply
Sharon Lee on July 31, 2017 at 5:48 am

Awesome time lapse you have create!! Thanks for sharing this wonderful view =)
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- Martien on July 31, 2017 at 6:01 am
  
  Thanks 🙂
  Reply
Amanda on July 31, 2017 at 7:49 am

Wow, this is stunning. I’ve toyed with time-lapse using my iPhone but this is something else. The sky is amazing and all the waiting and trouble with weather and travel was worth it. I’m going to be looking at what we can do with time-lapse very differently from now on.
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- Martien on August 1, 2017 at 1:22 am
  
  Thanks, have fun!
  Reply
Emma on July 31, 2017 at 8:10 am

Wow, your video is so beautiful! I can’t wait to try some of these tip myself!
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- Martien on August 1, 2017 at 1:20 am
  
  Thanks:)
  Reply
Corinne on July 31, 2017 at 8:21 am

Gorgeous time lapse. It takes dedication and lots of time to do this…kudos.
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- Martien on August 1, 2017 at 1:20 am
  
  Thanks! It does..
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Swayam Tiwari on July 31, 2017 at 8:32 am

25,000 pictures? This means if you took one second to shoot a picture ( which is conservative), you spent 25,000 seconds in shooting this time lapse!
You indeed a patient person, Sir.
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- Martien on August 1, 2017 at 1:19 am
  
  Way more than that. Daytime scenes are usually at 5 sec interval, nighttime at 30 seconds just the first scene took 8,5 hours!
  Reply
Rahat Arora on July 31, 2017 at 10:47 am

Amazing video
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- Martien on August 1, 2017 at 1:17 am
  
  Thanks!
  Reply
Cati on July 31, 2017 at 11:59 am

Wow you are so dedicated to getting the perfect shots
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- Martien on August 1, 2017 at 1:16 am
  
  I am!
  Reply
Alexa Meisler on July 31, 2017 at 3:46 pm

Now I need to learn how to do time-lapse photography! Gorgeous video.
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- Martien on August 1, 2017 at 1:13 am
  
  Go for it! Takes some time, but it good fun.
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Geemiz on July 31, 2017 at 6:14 pm

The video is so awesome. Any tips when editing in lightroom. I just started to learn to edit in lightroom.
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- Martien on August 1, 2017 at 1:12 am
  
  Thanks. My editing is very basic actually. I only edit my Raw files, add contrast, retrieve highlights, soften shadows, add some clarity and contrast. Sometimes I use the other sliders or play around with the curve, but that depends on the image. In most cases check the Lens Correction box and always check Chromatic Aberration (fixes weird color fringes)
  Reply
Jamie Italiane on July 31, 2017 at 10:46 pm

The film is incredible. So glad that you took your time and talent to make it.
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- Martien on August 1, 2017 at 1:08 am
  
  Thanks Jamie!
  Reply
Joyce on August 2, 2017 at 4:43 am

Great timelapse, looks stunning!
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- Martien on August 5, 2017 at 9:12 am
  
  Glad you like it, thanks!
  Reply
yoga pramana on October 18, 2017 at 10:10 am

Awesome works.
That timelapse really something.
Btw we kinda need footage like your Mt.Bromo timelapse.
Can you help me how to get it?
I’ve sent you an email too for this.
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- Martien on October 18, 2017 at 1:34 pm
  
  Thank you so much Yoga, I’ll contact you.
  Reply