Photographs & Words by Kurniadi Widodo

120131

2012-01-31T11:28:00.000+07:00

Kaliurang, January 24th, Mira's birthday. Check out her post to see a different set of photographs also taken that day.

LEGAL ARTIST SERIES #3: IN BETWEEN

2011-12-26T10:30:00.000+07:00

Well, what can I say? It's my first solo exhibition. Never thought I would have one this quick, and I certainly didn't think it would look like this. But I've learned quite a bit during the relatively short period of its preparations, and honestly I'm quite excited. Not because of the fact that I'm having an exhibition, but rather the possibilities (technical and otherwise) that open up with this particular exhibition's presentation. So please come and let me know what you think!

Opening | 27 Dec 2011 | 19:00 WIB | 7 pm

Venue | Rumah Kelas Pagi Yogyakarta
Jl. Brigjen. Katamso - Prawirodirjan MG II /1226
Yogyakarta

Performance by in between magician: Kadir Risqiano

Exhibition | 28 Dec 2011 - 10 Jan 2012
Conversation | 7 Jan 2011 | 16:00 WIB | 4 pm

Programmer | Ruang MES 56
Partner | Kelas Pagi Yogyakarta
Media | jogjanews.com

IN BETWEEN
Dalam pameran kali ini, Legal Artist #3 akan mempersembahkan karya-karya Kurniadi Widodo dalam sebuah pameran berjudul ‘IN BETWEEN’. Disini Kurniadi Widodo akan memamerkan 10 karya yang akan dipresentasikan sebagai wallpaper di galeri. Dari sepuluh karya ini publik bisa melihat bagaimana seniman bisa mengekploitasi salah satu fitur terpenting dari fotografi, yaitu framing. Praktek framing yang ia lakukan merupakan kunci yang membedakannya dengan karya-karya yang dihasilkan fotografer lain. Kurniadi Widodo tidak mendasarkan diri pada hubungan-hubungan antar obyek yang terberikan, bahwa kenyataan tidak dia rekam sebagaimana adanya. Dialah yang mengatur hubungan-hubungan antar benda tersebut.

Coba amati bagaimana ia dengan sengaja mengambil angle tertentu sehingga sebuah tugu dan kebun jagung menjadi sebuah peristiwa baru yang seolah memiliki hubungan; atau bagaimana sebuah gambar kuda di tembok, kabel listrik dan bayangannya, dan batang-batang pohon menjadi sebuah kesatuan peristiwa. Dari kedua gambar diatas, kita bisa nyatakan bahwa hubungan-hubungan yang terjadi tidaklah ada begitu saja, tapi dengan sengaja diberikan dan dinyatakan oleh fotografernya. Begitupun jika kita liat pada karya-karya lainnya; kita akan minimal menyadari bahwa ada upaya aktif dari fotografernya untuk memberikan sebuah pemahaman baru atas kenyataan yang ia rekam tersebut.

Program Legal Artist Series ini tidak melulu soal seniman muda berbakat atau karya yang bagus, namun lebih jauh menuntut bahwa artist dan karya yang di pamerkannya harus memiliki kekuatan di inovasi, tradisi dan masa depan. Yang di pertimbangkan adalah bahwa praktek kesenian yang dijalankan memiliki akar yang kuat serta memiliki kemungkinan pengembangan, baik dari sisi wacana hingga teknik-artistiknya. Sedangkan inovasi yang aku maksud adalah pada penemuan cara-cara baru, subject matter serta estetika-estetika baru.

In Between dalam presentasinya mencoba meyakinkan publik, bahwa keraguan utk menjadikan karya seni lebih fungsional bisa diatasi dengan cara yang cerdas. Pilihan untuk menjadikan karya-karya dalam In Between ini menjadi wallpaper sebenarnya berangkat dari pemahaman bahwa teknologi dan material wallpaper ini udah jamak, dan kemungkinan-kemungkinan aplikasinya dalam fotografi juga bukan barang baru. Persoalannya hanya perlu mencari kemungkinan-kemungkinan artistik yang sesuai, disini Legal Artist Series memberikan penegasan bahwa teknik dan material ini acceptable... anda sendiri bisa menilainya.

/ Tentang Legal Artist Series
Legal Artist Series adalah Program yang digagas oleh Ruang MES 56 untuk melegalkan seniman yang dengan serius menggunakan medium fotografi sebagai alat untuk menyampaikan gagasan inovatif secara visual dan pengembangan dalam teknik presentasi, serta sebagai laboratorium seniman dalam interaksi ruang dan publiknya.

Legal artist Series #1 (2006), Beyond Coca-cola oleh Edwin Dolly Roseno, Kurator oleh Angki Purbandono
Legal Artist Series#2 (2009), Pingpong Education System oleh Anang Saptoto, Kurator oleh Angki Purbandono

/ Tentang Seniman
Kurniadi Widodo, lahir di Medan pada tahun 1985, mengenal dan mempelajari fotografi secara otodidak sejak tahun 2006 pada saat menempuh pendidikan di jurusan Teknik Arsitektur dan Perencanaan di Universitas Gajah Mada (2003-2006), juga sempat kuliah di jurusan Fotografi di Akademi Desain Visi Yogyakarta (2006-2007), walau keduanya akhirnya ditinggalkan.

Dalam berkarya di bidang fotografi memilih jalur dokumenter, dengan ketertarikan utama pada pendokumentasian visual perkotaan dan isu-isu urban. Pada tahun 2010, bersama 7 orang fotografer muda lainnya membentuk Cephas Photo Forum, forum fotografi yang berfokus pada diskusi aktivitas fotografi. Saat ini tinggal dan bekerja sebagai fotografer lepas di Yogyakarta.

111207

2011-12-06T14:58:00.001+07:00

111206

2011-12-06T12:47:00.001+07:00

At LIR Shop, a nice little alternative space in town which regularly hosts various creative events.

111031

2011-10-31T09:56:00.000+07:00

111029 - 2 Days in Jakarta

2011-10-29T12:38:00.001+07:00

Went to Jakarta last week to attend the opening of Beyond Photography exhibition (which I'm a part of) in Ciputra Artpreneur Center. Days later and I'm still not sure what to make of that exhibition. While it claims to try to map the current practice of photography in the country, to me the exhibition is somewhat a distorted view. Some practices are underrepresented while some others are clearly really highlighted. I am by no means an expert in the field but I'm pretty sure Indonesian photography is more varied than the exhibition would have us believe. And it also feels like many participating photographers choose (or make) works which look or feel artsy to fit in more in the exhibition, so there's this air of sameness in it. It seems that so many photographers/artists are trying so hard to think outside the box, while the problem is as far as Indonesian photography is concerned, the box is still way too empty (and it's a pretty huge box).

But all that aside, overall it's still a pretty impressive show. Some artists spared no expense in their displays and they're quite a delight to see. My favorites include the cubism-style portrait by Riset Indie: Polaroid, the self portrait series by Rama Surya, and Henrycus Napitsunargo's series of dumped bathtubs and sinks. The exhibition is still on display through November 6th if you want to visit.

Beside Beyond Photography there were also two other exhibitions I visited. The first was a group exhibition titled Indonesia: A Surprise at Galeri Salihara. To be honest I was rather disappointed by this one. I think it failed to even live up to its own title, as there's nothing new or surprising in the exhibited photographs: it's all the typical "natural beauty of Indonesia" cliché. There's an accompanying photobook, though at IDR 500k I think it's way overpriced. This exhibition ended just yesterday.

The next exhibition I went to was Eastward by Martin Westlake at Dia.Lo.Gue Artspace Kemang. Eastward documents Westlake's extensive travel throughout many countries in Asia since 1991. While the images also mostly convey beauty, giving a sense of nostalgia by the muted colors of the photographs, I found this show much more enjoyable than the show at Salihara. Westlake's mastery of the craft (he mainly uses large format camera) really shines through his beautiful prints. This exhibition is still on display until November 20th. Eastward is also available as a book.

But above all, by far the most interesting moment during my brief visit to Jakarta was meeting and having conversation with Erik Prasetya:

The man is lively, intelligent, and most importantly, humble. Though it was the first time we met, he made the atmosphere so unbelievably comfortable that it felt like we've known each other for years. In a way it really explained why his book turned out that way. We talked about many things; about his days assisting Sebastiao Salgado and how that really affected his own work, about his book (and how its concept is something that he still wants to work on—exciting news), about the current state of photography in Indonesia, and much more. Three hours of conversation passed by just like that. So glad I got it all recorded. ;) Really looking forward to discuss many things with him again. And since it turns out that he's practically my neighbor in Jakarta (he lives just 15 minutes away from my home... who would've guessed), I think from now on I will always have a good reason to go back to that contemptible city.

Aboard Senja Utama Solo, heading out to Jakarta.

Aboard Fajar Utama Yogyakarta, heading back home.

111020 - Kraton Wedding (As Seen By The Average Onlookers)

2011-10-20T14:02:00.000+07:00

Last Tuesday (10/18) was the wedding day of Sultan Hamengkubuwono X's youngest daughter Gusti Kanjeng Raden (GKR) Bendara with Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo (KPH) Yudanegara. Aside from national television coverages, the event was also reported live through its official Twitter account @KratonWedding with photos posted to its Tumblr site. It was pretty interesting to see how, for such a royal event, they chose to utilize the instantaneous mobile phone camera photos (lots of Instagrams too) over the higher quality pictures from photojournalists. And seeing the positive reactions from their Twitter & Tumblr followers, I guess nobody really cared about it either. People were already entertained enough to see close up pictures of the groom and bride and all the fancy traditional Javanese processions.

For those who want to see it firsthand though, it's the usual experience of getting packed with thousands of other onlookers for hours on a really hot day just to get a chance to catch a glimpse of the parading newlywed royal couple through the Malioboro street.

Oh, and I should also mention there were free snacks provided by Kraton through 200 angkringan placed on the sides Malioboro street. Yeah, you can guess how that turned out.

When the angkringan keeper took out the goods, the whole stuff only lasted for less than 10 seconds.

And then the long-awaited couple showed up, and everyone waved and clicked away...

111014 - Kleringan Bridge Construction

2011-10-14T15:57:00.000+07:00

Exhibition: Beyond Photography 2011

2011-10-11T12:22:00.000+07:00

Something big is coming up at the end of this month. This large exhibition attempts to map the current landscape of photography in Indonesia by its various practitioners, photographers and artists alike. Needless to say this will be quite a mixed bag with different disciplines thrown in together, and famous names appearing side by side with young emerging ones. Personally I'm not sure how that would turn out, but there's always the possibility that it could be interesting.

With that said, a few photographs from my ongoing project Fringes will also be exhibited in the event. If you're in Jakarta this late October to early November please do visit. :) Click the poster to the left to see bigger resolution with further info.

111007

2011-10-07T10:30:00.000+07:00

111005

2011-10-05T17:57:00.000+07:00

The 66th anniversary of Indonesian National Armed Forces in Yogyakarta.

111003

2011-10-03T10:42:00.000+07:00

110930

2011-09-30T10:30:00.000+07:00

Was helping Aul making his latest artwork for an upcoming large scale photography exhibition in Jakarta. I'm also included in it, but more on that later.

Mintio's Open Studio Cyanotype Sessions

2011-08-25T12:22:00.001+07:00

Singaporean photographer Samantha Tio (Mintio) has been in town since early this year for the artist residency program in MES 56, working with cyanotype combined with traditional batik printing process on fabric (read more about her project progress here), and recently she's been generous enough to hold weekly open studio sessions for anyone who wants to try their hands on cyanotype process. I thought it was too great an opportunity to miss so I came by with Aul, who has also been assisting Mintio during her stay.

At the first session last week I just wanted to see how the process worked out, but it turned out to be pretty simple so the next time around (last Tuesday) I brought my own material and an image to print so I could try it myself. I also took some pictures, and while this is by far not a comprehensive guide I hope it could illustrate the process a bit.

So, the first thing you need to do is prepare the material you want to print on. Aul and I both used plain white shirts. Supposedly you could use any material as long as it's porous, but different materials will of course have their own characteristics.

Sensitize the material you want to print on with the light sensitive chemical. Apply the chemical with brush according to the size of the image you want to print. All this needs to be done somewhere dark, though as you can see from the picture above, it doesn't actually have to be pitch dark, a dimly lit place will do. Once you finish coating it, leave the material to dry in the dark. Ours took around almost an hour with the help of a fan.

Mintio's test prints.

When the sensitized material is dry, it's time to expose it to UV light, in this case we use the sunlight. You can use a negative transparency to print a photograph on your material or you can put objects on top of it to make a photogram. The procedure is very much like creating a contact print. Put your transparency directly on top of the material you want to print on, then put a piece of clear glass over it and clamp them together to make sure the transparency is flattened out with the material.

When using sunlight, the exposure time really depends on the weather. It could get tricky when during exposure the light intensity changes from sunny to cloudy and vice versa. If you're going to use this process to print important works like Mintio, it's crucial to leave nothing to chance. She's trying all different combinations to make sure she gets the perfect one. Different fabrics, different methods of printing on transparency, even down to different resolutions on the transparency to find the right tone. And all this just for the cyanotype process alone, I'm sure there will be all different set of considerations too when she eventually gets to batik printing process. One single mistake and you're back to square one. Even just hearing the breakdown steps already made me exhausted.

Since Aul and I only wanted to try out the printing we skipped the whole test print process and print our images straight to our shirts. Mintio suggested 5 minutes exposure and that's what we went with. The light sensitive solution on the material changes color pretty quickly during this stage.

My shirt. I used a cropped version of this photo.

Aul's shirt.

After the material is exposed next is 'developing' the image. At this point you should be able to see a faint image on your material (forgot to take picture of it) but washing it with water will make it come out even more. Yup, you only need water. You can add bleach to add more contrast. Wash it until the color no longer changes.

And that's pretty much it! The image is permanently printed on the material now, just need to leave it to dry.

Oh by the way, meet Nona. She pretty much owns the house.

Since it took a while for our shirts to dry, Aul took Nona out for a walk.

See, I told you it's her house.

So anyway, if you're in Jogja and you're interested in making your own cyanotype prints, Mintio will still be holding weekly open studio sessions every Tuesday until she finishes her project. She's generous enough to let us use her chemicals, so you will only need to bring an image to print and a material to print on. Here's a map to get to Rumah Nona, or just contact me if you want to go together, I think I'll go again next Tuesday.

110822

2011-08-22T11:19:00.000+07:00

Dropping another hint: There's a rather small detail in the above frame which gives a clue of what I'm currently working on (different from the previous post). There's also something about the aforementioned detail which causes this particular frame to be unusable. Which sucks cause I really like what's happening inside this frame. I might revisit this spot and see if the problem can be worked out. Didn't have much time exploring while taking this picture since I was walking with a friend at that moment.

110816 - Cranes

2011-08-16T16:24:00.000+07:00

Some pictures of recent developments in Jogja. Still not sure whether to turn these into their own little series (as the format seems pretty clear already) or to incorporate them into a larger narrative, since I also have other ideas on documenting these physical transformations of the city... You could actually see hints of it here and there in some earlier posts on this blog, if you're interested.

110813

2011-08-13T12:17:00.000+07:00

110613

2011-06-13T10:36:00.003+07:00

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2011-05-24T14:16:00.000+07:00

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2011-05-18T12:06:00.000+07:00

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2011-05-11T12:48:00.000+07:00

110427 - Panahan Mataraman

2011-04-27T10:57:00.002+07:00

This is a traditional archery competition held by Kraton Yogyakarta, where each participant is required to wear traditional Javanese clothings. They sit in a row while shooting at the targets, four arrows for each archer for each round. The archer who hits the targets the most within 20 rounds wins. Though I've lived in Jogja for 10 years and have heard about this competition many times before, this was actually the first time I saw it in person, and was quite impressed. Some of these men and women have mad skills!

110425

2011-04-25T13:25:00.000+07:00

Didier & Regis

2011-04-09T10:29:00.001+07:00

A little piece of wisdom from the graphic novel The Photographer (Indonesian version).

Though not demonstrated in the above excerpt, what I like the most about this book is how Didier Levefre's photographs (mostly in the form of contact prints) are incorporated seamlessly with Emmanuel Gilbert's illustrations through various methods. Sometimes there are panels leading up to one (or a couple) strong photograph. Other times the page only consists of the contact print of an entire roll. It's a dynamic back-and-forth shift of first person and third person perspective, with one perspective informing the other to make a full understanding of the story. I think it's an interesting practice of how we can use and combine photographs with other media to give contexts to them.

110404

2011-04-04T10:34:00.001+07:00

A Side Note

2011-04-02T14:41:00.001+07:00

Recently, I decided to start a photographic scrapbook/journal. A real one. You know, with pen & papers, if you still use those. Why don't I just write it all here on the blog, you ask? Because I realize, with my disorganized mind, ideas or questions can (and often) occur in random and short outbursts. It's hard to recreate those thoughts if there's a delay in writing them down. I will often miss some points or completely forget about them. So I need something more immediate to capture these quick thoughts at that moment so I can dwell on them and think about them more thoroughly later. It's a bit like street photography too, don't you think? I know this seems fairly obvious, I dunno why I didn't start this earlier.

It's funny though, now that it's been years after I've abandoned college, I find myself doing the same thing I used to hate doing again. But this time it's quite enjoyable (so far anyway) since I'm the one deciding what to write on it. I guess I'm actually quite fond of learning, I just don't like being told when and what to learn. So, with this I've been taking notes of books I read or exhibitions and discussions I attended to, sometimes pasting old prints I have laying around and scribbling on them. I like that it's quite organic in appearance, with errors here and there, extra notes added in later in leftover spaces, etc. Compared to the sleek look of weblogs it's quite nice actually. I hope this will be useful later on, and work as a complementary of this blog.

By the way, that book I'm taking notes on in the picture is Photo Journey Of Paul Kadarisman - Boring Happy Days. It's a book companion of his solo exhibition last year—which I sadly missed. (Updated: Was just told by Budi that this is a limited edition book) The book neatly encompasses his career so far, with photographs from his various personal works and informative texts by curator Alexander Supartono and Firman Ichsan. If you like the photos on his blog it's a nice book to have.

The Guide

2011-03-09T10:22:00.002+07:00

Guys, don't watch too much Eggleston.

(Left picture by Karolus Naga, right picture by me.)

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2011-03-07T11:14:00.000+07:00

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2011-03-02T10:07:00.000+07:00

110228

2011-02-28T12:15:00.000+07:00

Just testing a double column post in case I want to do some funny post layout in the future. Well, seems to be working. With this, now each vertical photo can also be viewed, captioned (when necessary), and downloaded individually.

Sukma

Gem & Mita

Putra

Hoho

110223

2011-02-23T13:40:00.002+07:00

Some color works from 2010.

Bulaksumur

Glagah Beach

Mataram Street

Demangan

Kridosono Stadium

Babarsari

110222

2011-02-22T10:53:00.002+07:00

Lekker Je cafe. Nifty interiors.

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2011-02-14T10:44:00.004+07:00

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2011-02-12T10:38:00.011+07:00

Review - Jakarta: Estetika Banal

2011-02-04T17:05:00.010+07:00

Finally got my hands on this much awaited book. Thanks to Rony who tweeted about his purchase on Tuesday night, the next day I went to my favorite bookstore to check if it's already in stock and surely enough, three copies of it were laying there, among some random unrelated books which I didn't even bother looking at. I quickly grabbed one and headed straight to the cashier—it's not like I had enough money to buy other books anyway. Opening the pages on the comfort of my bed later, I couldn't help but feeling exhilarated. When you have high expectation, often times you'll get disappointed because the real thing turns out to be not as good as what you hope for. But this book is definitely one of those rare pleasant occasions where you really get what you expect, and even more. Estetika Banal (Banal Aesthetics) was officially publicized and launched last December, along with an exhibition in the 2010 Jakarta International Photo Summit (There's a summary from Erik's talk during the discussion "Through the Horizon of Seeing" in this post from INTAKEs, by the way). But as it turned out, the *actual* book itself wasn't yet ready to be released at that moment. The only thing available in the launching event was a dummy. It's only in January that the title went into printing and subsequently released.

Now, let me first try to explain why I was highly anticipating this book. Although Erik Prasetya is by all means an accomplished photographer, Estetika Banal is his first and thus far only monograph. The last time his photographs were present in a major publication was in 2005, in a book called Yang Tercinta (The Loved Ones), consisted of personal works from 8 photographers. After that, I came across another small sample of his works in the 2007 Jakarta International Photo Summit catalogue. It was his photographs in this catalogue that really got me intrigued. I remember thinking to myself, "Can this possibly be the Indonesian pioneer of street photography we've all been looking for?"

When the interest in street photography began to arise in this country, the young practitioners (myself included) were mostly informed through the internet, inspired by the greats of the foreign masters. We did, of course, wonder if there were local predecessors—whether there was someone photographing street-style in Indonesian cities in the past, but it has proved difficult to find such photographers. Sometimes we would find a couple of interesting frames, only to be disappointed that there weren't more information as to whether it's part of a larger body of works, etc. So we resorted to where we began; outside sources. But I find studying the foreign greats has its own downfalls too: what we have here in our own streets isn't anything like the scenes in our favorite photographs from other countries. Everything is different. I would go out and shoot, and when I come back to view the photos, I would often wonder... "Are these interesting scenes? Is this the most effective solution to that particular visual problem? How would I know? How would a seasoned Indonesian street photographer solve this problem? Oh right, there isn't one." But now, with the release of Estetika Banal, I feel that we finally have some sort of solid grounds from which we can discuss, compare, and more importantly develop Indonesian own street photography.

With that bit of background out of the way, now let's get to the book. Estetika Banal is Erik's personal narrative of Jakarta, the city he has lived in for the last 20 years—the oldest picture in the book was from 1990 whereas the newest was as recent as October 2010. In the foreword for the book, Firman Ichsan wrote how through his works Erik "critiqued the classical aesthetic approach, even saying most photographers possess a middle class aesthetic that leans toward voyeurism or romanticism if not exoticism—a situation that must be overcome by photographers when shooting in order to get at the "truth"." In all honesty, in 2011 that topic does seem to be rather outdated, since so many photographers' works now have clearly moved into the personal domain rather than trying to show/explain something exotic. Perhaps because in documentary and photojournalism (the field where Erik's works is mostly known) the issue is still (considered) prevalent? To be fair he's been working on this since more than a decade though, without ever expressing his opinions in their entirety, so I guess we can also see this as some sort of voice long overdue. Another interesting point is that, I think no matter what, one can still be accused of voyeurism as long as he's photographing other people's lives. Erik argues, though, that he's not photographing The Other, because he's of the same class/background with the people he photographs. Whether that resolves the problem or not is up to you to decide. Regardless, the way he photographs Jakarta does feel natural and not contrived. I lived there for a short period (1996-2000) and I can say he gets the atmosphere of the city in his pictures. He doesn't really touch the extreme high and low point of the city, but what he does touch, are quite telling.

The book consists of eight chapters, each of it untitled but marked with an excerpt of a poem to signify the beginning of a new chapter. Marriage between images and words (especially poems) are something that's really hard to get right without the risk of one overwhelming the other, but it is not the case here. The selected excerpts, short as they may be, beautifully set the tones for the following photographs. They give a tease of what's to come, without really describing it as to not ruin your experience of the book. I really like how it works here. The poems in their entirety can be read at the end of the book. The photographs themselves are very solid, and I think even that's an understatement. Not only is each photograph strong, it is really clear that much thoughts have been put into the editing process. Even though there isn't a "story" per se, the sequencing of the photographs give the feeling of a narrative, starting from a rather descriptive treatment of the city in the first chapters which then slowly and gracefully move towards a more subjective statement the author has about the city and its development seen in the faces of its citizens in the later chapters. Each photograph has a caption, and while most of them simply show the place and year the picture was made, some other captions give additional interesting information which aren't just objectively explaining the situation of the scene photographed, but also seemingly unrelated events surrounding the photographs which somehow actually give new, broader meanings to them.

On a smaller scale many of the photograph pairings on a spread are also interesting, sometimes implementing simple visual puns and similarities within the photographs, other times creating a mini-story by putting complementary photographs next to each other, some of which I display here. This is a book which you can definitely enjoy on repeated viewings.

With all that said, I think this book is a must-have for a street photography aficionado, or any photobook enthusiast. I feel that in time, this book will become an important milestone in the development of photography in the country. (This is of course coming from someone not really well-versed in this subject, I just got a gut feeling about it) At least, I know that as a photographer who's also intent on documenting his adopted hometown, I've learned a great deal from this book.

Jakarta: Estetika Banal
Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia, in cooperation with Jakarta Arts Council
Hardcover 192 pages; 30cm x 24cm
IDR 175.000

On Tumblr

2011-01-18T10:33:00.003+07:00

Just want to spread the words that I've set up a new blog on Tumblr. I've always wanted to share photographs I like from my own peers here in Indonesia, but posting them here seems incongruous, given the nature of this blog so far which is pretty much all about, er, me. I want a simpler place where I can quickly post something after I see/find something interesting without much thinking. Turns out the Tumblr platform is the perfect tool to do just that.

So yeah, without further ado, We Take Pictures Too.

Unposed #0 Exhibition

2011-01-04T17:20:00.003+07:00

The Indonesian street photography group Unposed is having its first group show, showcasing 48 photographs from 23 photographers:

Yoe Yah Lie
Febriyanne Kusuma
Iqbal Sardadi
Ivan Jasadipura
Dion P Setyotomo
Max Willy
Kurniadi Widodo
Ichwan Susanto
Indra Baron
Reinaldy Soekamto
Johan Heryanto
Nara Dsmurthi
Rizal Adi Dharma
Tampan Destawan
Krishna Bayumurti M Zaki
Leonhard Ivan
Eka Budhi Irawan
Arif Setiawan
Michael Novrianus
Idham Rahmanarto
Felicia Maria
Nana Christian
Patricia Puspa Sari

The show will be up until the end of this month, so drop us a visit if you're in town!

110103

2011-01-03T13:37:00.003+07:00

Year End Note

2010-12-31T10:01:00.005+07:00

As the year comes to a close, I would like to make some note.

First of all, I still don't understand why aren't there more Indonesian photography-related sites on the web which talk about photography more thoroughly. The only kind thriving is photo forums, but crowded as they are, the topics discussed inside these forums are mostly limited to the technical stuff. While I don't have problem with that (they're useful when you just begin learning photography), they don't offer much either for photographers who are in a more advanced phase and want to take it up more seriously. I know because I've gone through that route myself. I've been lucky enough to get to know people who introduce me to the photography world outside these forums, showing the vast possibilities photography has. From that point on, my own curiosity has been leading me to gather photographic knowledge bits by bits from here and there. But I think up to 95% (probably more) of all the things I've learned has been coming from outside the country. Aside from the occasional exhibition info, it's really really rare to come across photography related writings in any form, be it essays, reviews, opinions, or simple observations from my own countrymen on the web.

The way I see it, photographers in this country are very polarized, with very few in-between case. There's the hobbyists, who mostly learn photography as a mere side interest, with no further intention to develop their vision to communicate ideas. With the digital boom, I suspect this is the largest group of all. Then there's the professionals, who make photos because it's their job to answer the demands of the industry. I don't know how much photographers from this group who makes personal work of their own outside their commercial jobs, but it sure is hard to find one. And then there's artists who utilizes photography (often times in the broadest possible interpretation) as some raw materials for their visual art. Agan Harahap is probably one of the rare cases in Indonesia where a photographer can be successful (and popular) in both commercial and art-world, and generous enough to share stories on his blog --though sometimes they don't have anything to do with photography, but hey, as long as it's interesting. I think Paul Kadarisman is of this rare breed too? But it's more difficult to find what he's up to since he doesn't blog.

Anyway, furthermore, each of the above groups seems to be so isolated from each other, working inside their own bubble without much contact (or care) with the other bubbles. I don't know if we're being secretive, or thinking our thoughts aren't worth sharing, or simply being lazy. Whatever the cause is, there's next to nothing on the web when we want to know what's currently happening in Indonesian photography scene.

BUT... there are actually some pretty interesting developments. This year saw the births of several Indonesian sites, which, in my opinion, have promising potential to make Indonesian photography blogs scene more colorful in the future. Here they are, in no particular order:

INTAKEs, a blog affiliated to the photo agency Ru Images (also founded this year), tends itself toward the documentary/photojournalistic side of the spectrum, and is my personal favorite from this list. Even though its posts are rather infrequent (about once a month), INTAKEs make it up by always producing in-depth, quality contents. Posts like Jan Banning lecture transcript and interview with seasoned photojournalist Julian Sihombing give many insights and stories beyond the pictures, which are invaluable not just for photojournalists, but also for anyone who wants to extend their photographic horizon. INTAKEs is maintained by Okky Ardya and Rony Zakaria, whose superb works I deeply admire.

Also on the documentary front there's Citrakostha who's helmed by my friend Karolus Naga. Citrakostha takes photo essay contributions from anyone, and lean toward a more personal approach of documentary photography.

On the lighter side of things, there is duasatugram by Richie Pakpahan whose own quirky photos I always look forward to see. The concept of the blog is simple enough: You send a photo to duasatugram, mentioning to whom that particular photo is directed (or you could simply say it's for everyone). The photo gets posted on the blog, and the 'recipient' will get noted that someone has sent him/her a photo. S/he will then be able to reply the photo with his/her own. In short, it's a visual correspondence. Which is open for all to see and participate in. It might not be an original idea, but the 'mails' are completely unedited and seeing the pairs (original-reply) that people come up with can be fun and refreshing.

This year was also Cephas Photo Forum's birth year, founded by 8 photographers in Jogja including yours truly. The forum originally intended as an alternative gathering place for photographers to share and discuss their works, open for anyone to attend. Though at this point we're still struggling to build an audience (along with other problems of our own), we have ideas to utilize the blog to produce contents and attract more people.

Though it would seem that all the above endeavors (aside from INTAKEs) celebrates the unknowns, the 'nobodies' of Indonesian photography world, I still think this is the right step for a more open discussion between all participants. Hopefully other, more established photographers will catch on the spirit of these individuals and create interesting venues themselves within this next year.

As for me, as you might already notice from the recent past entries, I'm also trying to write more on the blog (hopefully not at the cost of less pictures!) Bear with me as I clumsily try to organize my thoughts, 'kay?

With all that said, hope 2010 was a good year for all of you, and 2011 will be an even better one. Happy New Year, guys!

Sketchy Thoughts

2010-12-22T11:21:00.005+07:00

©Ibnu Saud

The above sketch was recently posted by an architect friend of mine to his Facebook album. Funnily my first reaction on seeing it was, "that's quite an interesting photo!", and I could even imagine it in color. The bright colored prize scooter in contrast against the usual grayish corporate color of a bank interior, the lone potted plant giving a small patch of green, some colorful lines showing the currency exchange rate and other banking information in the monitor above... I guess what interests me the most from it is how it depicts a bank without actually showing any distinct banking activities (In fact the only clues are the sketch title and the writings on the scooter license plate; if those weren't there I'd guess it's a, say, auto showroom). And that's why I immediately thought of it as a photo: it's basically a snapshot in the form of a sketch, not really trying to explain something it shows so much as simply presenting a reaction of seeing a particular scene which somehow grabs your attention. Even the hastily drawn lines and shadings seem to prove the point. But like a good snapshot, when all the elements are neatly arranged, the whole becomes much more than the sum of its parts. The placement of something gives context and clues to other things within the frame. And that's how my photographic mind works when I'm out shooting; I'm not really concerned at what I'm aiming my camera at --whether they're 'good' or not, but rather how those things in front of me could be correlated to other things around them from a particular vantage point. Whether it works or not I'll decide later during the editing.

Below are two other sketches from the same album, and there's something in them which is also parallel to the process of photographing (at least mine):

©Ibnu Saud

If you figure out both scenes are in the same place, you've got good eyes for noticing details. The two lamps behind the musician group in the second sketch are also visible in the center part of first one.

It's similar with how I often find something interesting while photographing. I don't search for it. The problem with searching is you have to know beforehand what you're searching for. And when you have something fixed in mind when shooting, you become oblivious to other things around you, and in the end feeling frustrated because you can't find something you want. Instead, what I would do is scanning the general area of where I am, just like how the first sketch shows everything with the same importance. When I get a good idea of how a particular spot feels, I would then try to notice a detail within the area that grabs my interest. It could be anything random, a street sign, a funny looking shrub, that guy with a bright colored hat, etc... Sometimes they don't even have to be visual. Perhaps it's smell, other times a particular voice you hear. And then I would move in to that direction. I don't know how and why, but when I get there I will usually find something interesting which is barely seen from the spot where I was standing before, just like how the group of musician in the second sketch isn't quite visible in the first one. You won't believe how many good scenes and moments you would encounter just by repeating this process (though *getting* them perfectly in your frame is of course a totally different thing).

And the fact that I can relate these sketches to photography proves that this kind of seeing is something which is always switched on all the time for me...

Some Recent News

2010-12-16T12:43:00.004+07:00

Two of my (rather old) photos are included in the fifth issue of Romka Magazine, which also happens to be their first printed issue. At an edition of 1000 it's a small publication, but some of the works shown in the excerpt seem pretty interesting (mine is at 0:35-0:34). Looking forward to receiving my copy.

In other news, if you're in Jakarta or planning to go there within the next week, you wouldn't want to miss Jakarta International Photo Summit | City of Interaction which opens tonight in Galeri Nasional and will be open until December 26th. Many photographers will show their works, including two of my favorites, Agan Harahap and Suryo Wibowo. Other highlight of the event is the launching of Jakarta: Estetika Banal, a book by seasoned Indonesian photographer Erik Prasetya, which I'm really dying to get but information regarding its price and how to order it is... well, next to nothing. (Do let me know if you have the info!) Erik Prasetya's photographs are hard to find on the web, I've only known about him from the catalog of the previous Jakarta International Photo Summit 3 years ago and they're so good I've been wanting to see more of his works. Moreover the subject of this newly released book (supposedly his first, cmiiw), a personal observation and statement of how he views the city he loves, is something I've been working on myself. Wishing I could get some insights to develop my own works from it.

101215

2010-12-15T11:04:00.001+07:00

Jogja Istimewa - 101213

2010-12-13T22:59:00.002+07:00

You know how I'm not a good storyteller, so if you wanna know how it went just read it here. These are what's happening outside the building.

101118

2010-11-18T12:09:00.001+07:00

Mois de la Photo 2010

2010-10-26T10:15:00.022+07:00

As you can see, I am participating. And this will be my first exhibition too, so I'm pretty excited --and nervous. Especially since the event is in conjunction with the International Year of Biodiversity, so the the theme of the exhibition is related to environment, meaning my exhibited photos aren't something I usually show here on the blog.

Aside from exhibition and seminar, there will also be photography workshop (submissions are still open until November 10th. Read more here) and slideshow projections from many photographers during the exhibition. Read the full program here, or download it as PDF (approx. 5MB) here.

The Beautiful Accident

2010-10-11T17:20:00.004+07:00

About a week ago my mom and a number of our neighbors went for a day trip to Pacitan, visiting the tourist spots around the area. Just yesterday she handed me the files of the photos from the trip, asking me to print them out. This morning I checked the files, and surely enough there were the usual tourist pictures; general sceneries, group posing in front of said sceneries, etc... But then this one picture stopped me in my track:

I dunno who took it, but I actually quite like it. The composition, the placement of the lone lamp and how the spherical shape really pops, the scale of it compared with the surrounding cave walls, how it could really show that the lamp is something that isn't supposed to be there... Those of us who have seen lots of photographs with a good content could see the picture as a comment on how human is tampering with nature for our own (questionable) benefits and stuff like that, but for all we know, perhaps the person taking this picture just want to capture and remember how the interior of the cave looks like, with the lone lamp included unintentionally. Another weird thing is, all the other files are set in the highest resolution of the camera, except this one. It's actually set in the smallest resolution. It's as if whoever took the picture thought that the picture was unimportant but s/he took it anyway. Or perhaps it's just for the sake of saving memory space, who knows. Anyhow, it reminds of this particular quote:

"There are no accidental masterpieces in painting. But there are accidental masterpieces in photography." -Chuck Close

It is even observable in Facebook photo albums sometimes. When I browse the albums of my non-photographer friends, every now and again I would find some really interesting frames they took with simple point n shoot digicams or even their phone cameras, yet these people always seem to be oblivious and doubtful that their pictures are interesting at all.

©Heni Octoriyani Wijaya

And that's what I like about it, how they don't think about photography and aren't really concerned with how their photos will be viewed and still be able to produce something good, albeit unknowingly. Even without the intent, you can make a good photograph. I wonder if this accidental gem also happens in other creative fields and if it does, how often? Obviously I don't have the numbers but I have a feeling it's a much more common occurrence in photography. After all, some vernacular photography sometimes can make their way into the art realm. So at least some people must think highly of these accidents.

But is it all accident, though? Of the friends I mentioned before, some have a noticeably better hit-miss ratio than the others, to which I guess we can attribute to this thing we call "talent". If so, then, will it be beneficial for them to learn photography? To supposedly nourish that talent they have? Or will they be better off not knowing photography at all? Because I feel that sometimes our photography knowledge can actually hinder us instead of helping us in taking photos. Is this composition good? Am I standing on the right spot? Should I wait a bit more? I know that famous guy have made great photo with this formula, can I get the same result? The considerations are endless. And you'll always be haunted by all those good chances you didn't get, knowing full well you could have nailed it. People like my friend Heni above, on the other hand, just see something they think interesting, click, and move on blissfully with their life.

Perhaps that's where the problem lies, the knowledge required to spot a good photograph is the very same knowledge required to know a potential photograph in the first place. It's the same thing, it's all about choosing. Making a selection. This one is more interesting than that one. Without the knowledge, you can make a good photograph but you wouldn't know you have made one. And this, for me, makes those accidents even more beautiful. Knowing that the makers don't know that they've created something good. Because that would mean the same thing could happen to us. We could have made some good pictures without realizing and they're laying around somewhere, waiting to be found when we have the knowledge to know that they are, indeed, beautiful accidents.

101004

2010-10-04T09:07:00.001+07:00

100916

2010-09-16T09:59:00.002+07:00

100802

2010-08-02T10:00:00.006+07:00

100625

2010-06-25T10:29:00.001+07:00

100624

2010-06-24T10:11:00.001+07:00

100609

2010-06-09T10:18:00.002+07:00

Sorry for the past quiet months, having some trouble with my one and only lens. Expect some choppy updates ahead as I try to get the lens fixed or find a replacement if possible.

100423

2010-04-23T10:27:00.001+07:00

In Trax

2010-03-15T09:39:00.002+07:00

A short writing and a small selection of my photos got published as a 8-page feature in the March issue of Trax Magazine. A big thanks to Agan for the opportunity. :)

In The Crowd, 100305

2010-03-05T11:23:00.004+07:00

Some time ago a couple of friends mentioned that my shooting style was somewhat changing. Some like it, others not so much. Basically it is said that my pictures are lately less structured, messier, and that generally I am more drawn into crowded scenes. Personally, I can say I never make a conscious preference regarding that matter and just shooting as usual without thinking too much on what exactly I'm looking for inside my frames. It's not an evolution of some sort. Perhaps I just bump into more interesting things more often inside crowds these days, or perhaps when I find scenes with the possibilities of cleaner composition, I think they've been overdone already and it's hard to make them look different and fresh. But anyhow, I'd like to write a bit about it.

In his phyla of street photography, Michael David Murphy classified this type of street photos as "the moving masses" (though I suppose the subjects didn't have to be necessarily moving) and he did acknowledge that it is a "declaration of the obvious". This type of photographs rarely depicts a singular unique/extraordinary moment at its core, relying instead on a number of 'minor' moments scattered all over the frame in a particular way. As such, it would seem that any moment you encounter in public places is good enough to be photographed in this fashion, as long as you frame it right. And that's where I'm start to wondering, so what exactly makes this kind of photo work? The arrangement of all the elements (everything on its own rightful place)? The quality of the minor moments? The way the all seemingly interact? Because I know some photographers are able to churn out some interesting works in this way. Winogrand is widely known, and Tod Papageorge's American Sport photos also come to mind. I was about to include Alex Webb, but as I remember his signature layered photos they seem to be different. His photos also often deal with crowds, but they still look carefully ordered, almost like choreographed, even.

Another issue I want to address is how we're supposed to know if we're about to come across potential scenes for this type of street photo and how we should react to it. From my own experience they tend to happen very quickly, much much quicker than the potential moments for juxtaposition, street portraiture, or abstract. Even when the scenes aren't quickly changing I still find it very challenging to keep track of what's happening on all corner of the frame before they vanish. You just notice a small fraction of it at a split second and that's it. You can't fish for it. Sometimes even the very act of raising your camera after you realize the aligning of people would probably take too much time, they'll be gone by the time you peek through the viewfinder. I think that's what makes my attempts to these pictures seem to be messy. I'll be honest and say that sometimes I just point the camera to the general direction of what I feel or deem to be interesting and hit the shutter release like crazy, deciding later on during editing which ones work (they often don't) and why. It sometimes feels like I'm intrigued by this pictures because I can study all the little bits during editing, and being surprised by things I didn't even notice when I took them. So yes, at this rate it can be said that I depend much on the infinite monkey theorem. Or as Trent Parke said, "You shoot a lot of shit and you're bound to come up with a few good ones."

So I guess what I want to say is, the effect of trying to figure this all out is that I will post more stuff which may seem loosely edited. And well... I suppose they are. But this blog isn't supposed to be a portfolio site anyway. Let me know if you have some thoughts on the topic.

100228

2010-02-28T10:22:00.001+07:00

100215

2010-02-15T10:01:00.001+07:00

Sekaten Fair, 100205

2010-02-05T08:41:00.004+07:00

...And now we're back to the usual program.

It is that time of the year again, where the city square transforms into a temporary fairground and amusement park for a whole month, though it seems to span longer and longer with every passing year.

100123

2010-01-23T12:27:00.004+07:00

These are more like color processing test than an actual blog post update. The colors on the previous entry photos are looking even funnier the more I see it (too magenta-ish) and I'm not too happy with that so here's another attempt. Most are old, you have probably seen some of them before.

I always find color processing to be quite troublesome, because the funny thing is I could clearly remember how a particular scene was illuminated (how the light behaved, where it was directed, etc) but I don't quite remember how the colors in that scene looked like, so when processing colors it quickly becomes a battle of "how it really looked like" versus "how I want it to look like." This doesn't happen when I shoot something with the straight intention of presenting it in b/w because then I don't deal with how it really looks like. With b/w it's all about how I want the scene to be perceived. I'm not saying shooting b/w is easier (it certainly brings its own set of problems), but with colors I can't help but feeling somewhat restrained or obliged to show a certain degree of truthfulness of the picture despite however improbable I believe that to be.

But anyway, do tell how you think about the colors when you have something to say.

Fire, 100111

2010-01-12T09:24:00.005+07:00

I was about to go to a secondhand bookstore yesterday when I saw some smoke rising in the distance. Decided to check it out, though since the police had diverted the nearby traffic I had to walk two blocks to get close. Turned out a paint store on Gejayan street was caught on fire. When I got there the fire has already somewhat been subdued (these days, leave it to people with camera phones to get the quickest scoop), but nevertheless here's some pictures I took.

The city garden department will be pretty pissed when they found out.

The show's best seat.

At this point I noticed Naga was also there (he could be seen in the far right side in the above frame), knowing how he always gets very close he'll likely have some interesting images of the event.

I don't have the slightest idea of how firefighters really operate and coordinate with each others, but the way I see it it seems like something along the line of "get all the firetrucks you can find and jam it in one place." There were probably 4-5 firetrucks yesterday with the addition of a pair of police riot-control trucks which I thought was pretty redundant for dealing with one building, not to mention most of them came pretty late into the action. As I said, the fire was pretty much tamed by the time I got there. The aerial ladder truck actually came the latest, and after extending its ladder high it just sat there for about 20 minutes before finally pulling it back down without doing a single thing other than putting a show for everyone to see. Still, better be prepared than not, I guess. And it probably had to do with how we didn't have a decent city hydrant systems, not as far as I know anyway. They had to go back and forth from a nearby small river to get water.

And seriously, could you believe these girls?

In the end, thankfully nobody got hurt and the fire didn't spread to the surrounding buildings. Despite what I said, these men really manage to get the job done.

100102

2010-01-02T14:17:00.005+07:00

I'm not someone who usually got new year resolutions, but this year I seriously need to pick up the pace in making pictures. I was browsing through my 2009 archives yesterday and realized it had the least amount of photos compared to the other years during my time doing photography. :-\

With that said, happy new year guys!

091118

2009-11-18T13:38:00.002+07:00

091008

2009-10-08T09:00:00.002+07:00

091005

2009-10-05T14:20:00.003+07:00

I know some of you probably went "huh?" on this one and the previous post. No, I'm not going through some personal crisis or whatever it is you think I'm having. ;) Just learning different sets of language, that's all.

Nakama

2009-09-29T10:44:00.003+07:00

These guys are still the one thing that I am most comfortable photographing. :)

090826

2009-08-26T10:01:00.017+07:00

090814

2009-08-14T08:30:00.001+07:00

090812

2009-08-12T08:30:00.002+07:00

Safari

2009-08-10T10:36:00.007+07:00

Last Friday night I went to Agan Harahap's solo exhibition opening at MES 56. It's a relatively small show, with only around 9 (but all beautiful!) prints from his Safari series, which is a series of digitally manipulated images which put wild animals in the unlikely setting of places we commonly see in our daily life. Some examples include a komodo dragon inside an office space, a bear in a parking lot, a kangaroo in a library. And those aren't even the weirdest, trust me. Visually it's kind of like Amy Stein's Domesticated, but with digitally added animals instead of stuffed props. And the most significant difference between the two is, while Domesticated seek to "explore our paradoxical relationship with the "wild" and how our conflicting impulses continue to evolve and alter the behavior of both humans and animals." (taken from her artist statement), Safari doesn't offer any explanation whatsoever on why the series was made or what the series is supposed to convey. Wait, what? Yes, although the link I provided earlier do have some statements of some sort, but they were written by someone else. When I talked with him that night, Agan told me that he originally didn't write a single thing to accompany the images. And after I inferred whether he started the series as a mere way to pass the time, he casually confirmed it. I guess it's just the way he is, and that's what I like about his works. He does things because he simply can and not really caring about much else. He doesn't have any restrictions on how he would construct the work (some of the more conservative people would probably be enraged if they found out about the method by which he created this series --which I wouldn't disclose here, you might try asking him yourself), and he certainly doesn't care how his works would be perceived by the viewers. It's like, he got all these images inside his head and he just had to let them out, one way or the other.

Though he professionally works as a photographer, Agan never limits his personal works to traditional photographic methods. (And interestingly enough, nowhere in the publication materials nor the actual showroom itself will you find written line saying that it's a "photography exhibition") You might think that given my personal taste in photography, I wouldn't like people who manipulate their photographs that much. While that is true to some extent, Agan is one of the few exceptions. Partly because aside from his digital manipulations, his conventional photographs are just as wicked. In these days when the walls between photography genres are steadily crumbling, people like Agan are already breaking through those walls with seemingly little effort. Or perhaps for them there weren't any walls to begin with. Honestly I feel slight envy towards them. Compared to them, the way I'm doing photography seems archaic and very 'limited'. Not that I'm thinking to change my ways of working, mind you, but it does raise some questions whether what I'm doing is still suited to this age and if it is how much longer it will prevail.

All that said, the exhibition will run until the end of August. If you happen to be in Jogja during those dates, I really recommend you to come and see it.

Oh yeah, before I forgot...

Good news #1: During the talk, I asked if he would continue the TransJakarta series to which the answer is yes.

Good news #2: He also mentioned that he currently got this idea for his next series, and while I won't leak any details, it involves world history, and given its controversial idea it would probably piss a lot of people. Suffice to say I'm praying it will come to materialization. ;)

090731

2009-07-31T14:01:00.003+07:00

In a Ditch

2009-07-28T08:00:00.003+07:00

The streak continues after all...

090720

2009-07-20T08:00:00.002+07:00

...Trees?

2009-07-13T07:55:00.004+07:00

Browsing through my archive, I noticed these two from a few months back, taken on different occasions.

Didn't think too much of them then, if at all, but looking at some of the photos on my previous post I thought these got some connection to them. And then there's the last picture of this post in March. Might it be that my unconscious mind is up to something?

Thing is, now that this random relation has been brought up (though accidentally) I would intentionally search for more of them, and that's when things usually go downhill cause I've never been good with planned shooting.

090710

2009-07-10T16:18:00.003+07:00

Overloaded

2009-07-01T22:24:00.002+07:00

When you spend too much time gathering information, sometimes you get so absorbed that you start forgetting the reason you do it in the first place and wound up not being able to process all the things you get... my mind's so full yet I can't make anything out of it.

New Kids On The Block

2009-04-28T13:02:00.007+07:00

If you're a street photography enthusiast from Indonesia, I have a good news for you. There is now a group/collective called Unposed which deals with anything that has to do with street photography, especially those which come from Indonesia. At this moment there is still not much to see, but later on we plan to post articles, news, features, and perhaps interviews with photographers who engage in the practice of street photography. The group also accepts picture or article submissions, the details of which can be found on the site. Unposed is only available in Indonesian (at least for now), but even if you don't speak the language don't let that stop you from at least visiting and take a look at the gallery --more photographers to come! We hope that the birth of this group could contribute to the development of photography in the country.

Oh, and I hope you are appreciating the irony that a post which promotes a site called "Unposed" is accompanied with a picture of a guy striking a pose. Heh. I really wish I had a more badass street picture to go with this post but unfortunately this is all I got. :o

090321

2009-03-22T10:06:00.003+07:00

090312

2009-03-12T13:39:00.001+07:00

Yeah I know, I've been slacking again.

Something has been in my mind for a while now... A friend proposed this idea of doing a joint photo project about the city we live in, Jogja. I gladly welcome it, since the concept is something I've also felt for as long as I've lived here, yet I haven't been bothered to give it further thoughts. Now since somebody else brought it up I'm starting to wonder if it's really something which could be worked out. Problem is, I'm not sure how to visualize it. How do you photograph something which isn't even visible? I'm not good at elaborating ideas, but to put it simple, it is something about a sense of belonging to a place. Something which makes people feel right at home in this small city of Jogja, even when it's not their actual hometown. I know a lot of people like that, myself included. When I ask people this, there are the obvious factors such as low living cost, the hospitality, the convenience of going around the city due to its relatively small size, etc etc... but I've always thought it goes beyond that though I can't tell what. If you live in Jogja for quite some time you'll know what I mean. Perhaps it's something in the air, I don't know.

While I (lazily) ponder about that, here are few photos.

090123

2009-01-23T18:52:00.001+07:00

090118

2009-01-18T11:34:00.003+07:00

...Interesting, eh? Found this in a frame shop, too bad the attendants had no idea who painted it... would be cool to see his other works (if any) I think.

Hello 2009

2009-01-01T00:21:00.001+07:00

So, how did I start the year? In an obscure stall, eating a bowl of fried noodles while watching Voldemort beat the crap out of Harry Potter in TV, accompanied by the sound of cheap fireworks outside... Glorious!

Happy New Year, everyone. :)

Bleak Days

2008-12-12T14:27:00.001+07:00

Cilacap, earlier this month.

111408

2008-11-14T10:22:00.003+07:00

I'm gonna admit, I'm not a sport person. I suck at pretty much any kind of sports out there. Used to be quite good at swimming, but that was around 9 years ago or so. Now, I don't think I'd last 10 minutes in the pool without getting a leg cramp.

But that fact doesn't deter me from coming along with friends whenever they wanna do some sport. And just like many other youth in Jogja these days, futsal is the popular choice. The game itself has been played for long, but it wasn't until around mid 2007 (if I remember correctly) that futsal places began popping out in the city like mushrooms sprouting in monsoon. Even until now, when roaming the streets I still often find new signs pointing to a recently built futsal places.

This particular one they rent was a small one, consisting of only one field and it wasn't really properly lit either, but if you're just playing for fun it's always sufficient.

Waiting for their turns to play. By the end of the game Choi's team got completely slaughtered, haha. The score was... well, actually we stopped counting when his opponent team was in the lead by (at least) 5 goals. And the score gap kept getting further afterwards. ;)

(Waited for the ball to drop somewhere on the upper part of the frame. Didn't happen.)

2008-11-07T08:34:00.002+07:00

From November 4th. Taken around the time when a big change was supposed to be happening. In contrast nothing much was happening in this part of the world, and while I'm somewhat glad to see the result, to be honest I don't really see how the whole thing's gonna affect this country that much either. Perhaps these guys do.

"Follow the star". Indeed.

Facelift

2008-10-26T22:28:00.003+07:00

The blog of course, not me. Me, I got chickenpox... at this age, yes. I'm recovering though.

So, in a nifty mood swing I decided it's time to give this blog a new layout. One that I've been thinking about for a while, based on this big idea. That is... whether I can call my pictures "art" if I show them in bigger size. Make them look more important and stuff. I mean, art galleries do it so why can't we?

But seriously, it's about efficiency. Beside here I post my pictures on some other places and it's been a pain to edit pictures to different sizes for each site I submit to. This way I'll only have to resize once for all of them. So here they are, now a whopping 900 pixels wide (yeah, you better watch out, Big Picture!) Photo thefts be damned. I mean, who's gonna steal some pictures by some unknown guy of some random scenes on the street or some people you don't know right? RIGHT?

Anyway, pictures. From about two weeks ago, mom suddenly felt like going to beach so we did. These are not important but as I said, let's just pretend they are because they're big.

....Man, I miss going to the beach with my friends. :(

Dusting Off the FM2

2008-10-15T09:59:00.003+07:00

Boy I haven't used that camera for a long while. So when Andi dropped by in town last September to shoot around I decided to take it out for a walk. Still feels as reliable as ever, though the viewfinder is a bit muddy... I'll have to get it cleaned later.

Didn't use up the whole roll on that occasion (I'm real slow when using film), luckily Ana also visited Jogja about last week so I got another chance to expose the remaining half. Didn't know what film was inside at that time, turned out to be my last roll of Trix.

So here you go, nothing really interesting actually, it's basically just me getting used to the camera all over again.

Something for geometry lovers. Thanks to Andi for completing the frame by providing his head. :D

This turned out crap, heh. Perhaps with some cleaner tank and simpler background it could work.

Ah, those frames which don't have any real content and were taken simply because "the light was nice".

Abstract a.k.a. "I don't know what else I should point my camera at" frame.

Cropping limbs are fun.

Perhaps if I do at least a hundred more of this I could justify it as "typology study"?

Reminds me of Charlotte's project which will be in November 4th, except instead of sometime in the morning it'll be at 11PM here (challenge!). I already have some alternatives for the place I'm gonna shoot, just need to make sure to check all of them before the actual project date to see if there's anything interesting going on in those places during that time.

Aaand some stylish pedicab man to end this post. Kinda surprised to see this one turned out okay actually, since I was hipshooting and my hipshots are usually badly tilted.

Hope you're all fine! Jogja has (finally) started to get some rain lately, and looking at Brian's post kinda make me wanna shoot in the rain too (hell, he's got typhoons there and still shooting!)... if I don't catch a cold first, that is.

Hello Again

2008-10-07T14:58:00.002+07:00

Hey, 'sup everyone? Been a while. First of all, it might be a week late, but nevertheless happy Eid al-Fitr for those of you who celebrate it. :) Even if you don't, as is the custom here, please pardon all the wrongdoings I've done, unintended or otherwise.

Haven't been shooting much lately (perhaps I catch Billitone's creativity block?), but here are some frames from last week, mostly taken inside my grandpa's house. It's a relatively small yet cozy place which always gets packed every year during the Eid as the whole family will be there to celebrate together.

My father's death last month reminded me of how seldom I photograph my own family, a circle which is supposed to be my closest (at least according to our own tradition) yet seems forgotten. Or it's not really forgotten, but more like it's me who is reluctant to connect with them for many reasons... Frankly, I am not someone you would call a family person. Not that I don't care about them, but you could say I just can't understand yet why I should be close to them just because we're blood related. I guess these pictures can be seen as my early attempt to better understand them, just like how I love to photograph the daily life in the street to try to somehow 'make sense' of everything, through those little instances that catch my interest. Looking at them, I think these pictures don't depict the actual feel of the place and the moment though, and still tend to talk about how *I* feel about those things. Hope they're still somewhat informative enough.

------

On another note, I'm planning to help Charlotte doing her photo project, the details of which can be read there on her blog. So far she has gathered quite a lot of participants, but she could use some more people especially from outside Europe/US. The date of the project has yet to be set, but if you're interested do let her know! The idea is nothing new I suppose (even I have thought of it myself albeit in a smaller scale), but it still sounds fun enough to make me wanna jump in. I'm already wondering what everyone else's photo would be.

I'll Be Lurking

2008-09-01T06:04:00.002+07:00

Just wanna tell you guys, I wouldn't be updating for some time... Some of you already know the reason, but for those who don't... my old man died last Friday (8/29). It came as a shock to everyone cause nobody saw it coming, he wasn't sick or anything... he just suddenly collapsed after watering his plants and kept complaining that he had trouble breathing. His condition quickly got worse and later he passed out, so we rushed him to the hospital but it was already too late.

And so, being the only living child, I am pretty much the head of the family now... with all the responsibilities that naturally follow. There are also unfinished matters which need to be taken care of, along with other things which I suppose will take quite a while to get used to.

But I'm okay. I'll still be around and will definitely be shooting again, but... at this moment, I'll be occupied with getting things back on place again. For the mean time, take care of yourself, and your family. :)

...I kind of regret not having that much frames of him though he had always been around... this is one of my lasts, and one that I like quite a lot:

Farewell, dad.

080810

2008-08-10T13:11:00.002+07:00

Okay, some quick update.

Just got back from Jakarta this morning. Last Friday night was the launching of FN's new monthly online magazine, the Exposure Magz. Since I had nothing better to do in Jogja I thought heck, why not go over there to attend it. Especially since Igor is featured in its first edition and he was to present his published work in the event. Now who would want to miss that? You just knew it would be a blast and it really was. :D And aside from that, I finally got to meet some other cool people whom I only knew online before. Was really nice to meet them all, though with some I only got to exchange few words.

Anyway, photos.

On the way to Jakarta aboard the Senja Utama, a business class train. In Indonesia that simply means "economy class with less crowded passengers".

The day after the launching night I got the opportunity to shoot with some of the new friends (Thanks to Andi, Salim, Anton for the invite!) so we went to Kota, their favorite spot to shoot.

Went there with Erik, parked the car in Fatahillah and less than a minute after that I already saw this:

And a 100% crop of the left guy, just so you can get a deeper understanding (whatever the hell that means) of the moment:

Oh yeah. ;)

Then we went to this rather new underground tunnel which recently got pretty popular among street shooters in Jakarta. Simply put, it is to street photography in Jakarta like sunset is to landscape enthusiasts (or photo hobbyist in general). Everybody seems to have a picture of it. ;)

The place got even more famous since apparently now you can't take pictures there without a permit, even though the tunnel is clearly a public space. The story goes that one day a local photojournalist took some pictures of the place, which, let's just say wasn't exactly in its cleanest condition at that time. The pictures got published in a newspaper, of course along with some criticism regarding the maintenance of the place. That publication certainly annoyed some people, and they somehow decided that the best solution to the problem was to completely restrict people from taking pictures of the place. Brilliant.

Thought this one was a proper reaction for that story:

The place itself is pretty nice. If you're into lines, shapes, and the likes you will definitely see a lot of abstract compositions you could work on.

Some sort of tribute to Dani, I guess. ;)

I suppose the cat wasn't too impressed.

Afterward we went to Beos train station. Really cool place, but I wasn't really into it somehow.

That would be all. Now if you would excuse me, gonna shoot the crowd in Soundrenaline, daylight doesn't look too good now but who knows as the day slowly shifts. Stay tuned for photos from the event, when I get back I'll post them as soon as possible.

080803

2008-08-03T11:15:00.003+07:00

Late July til this early August.

Never underestimate how hard daily life can punch you in the face. You think you know one thing or two about the place you live in, then suddenly you see this kind of shit and you quickly realize that you know nothing at all. So go out, go out and be surprised!

Expect more posts with few pictures like this in the future. I shoot even more sporadic lately... waiting till I collect a lot of materials will make the posts even more few and far between. Or do you guys prefer that? Either way thanks for visiting, hope y'all still enjoy this stuff. :)

In Solo

2008-07-15T09:31:00.001+07:00

...That title starts to feel like a darn template.

Last Sunday I traveled to Solo, along with the rest of the usual FN gank. And even though everyone brought cameras with them, we all already knew that everytime we gather up, it's mostly not about taking pictures but more about having a good time. And a good time it was. Well, aside from the weariness. Ten kilometers walk was definitely not fun for the legs.

I am actually quite pleased about this one.

I also brought my parents' old point and shoot film camera, the puny Fuji DL-80 which had collected dust, to shoot some test rolls. But the shutter got fucking jammed at the end of the journey so that camera might not see another light of the day anymore after all. Thinking of going to the flea market to get another cheap one...

In Jakarta, Part II

2008-07-03T13:14:00.001+07:00

Some leftovers from my last trip, taken around Jakarta Fair 2008. The event reminds me of Sekaten Fair in Jogja, only with a more modern setting and a bigger crowd. But that's probably an over generalization.

Jakarta is a strange place, at least to me. Though I lived there for about 4 years (circa 1997-2000), the city still looks somewhat alien to me. Even the places I used to know no longer look familiar. It's almost like the city itself doesn't want to be recognized, to be identified. Frankly, I don't like the general atmosphere of Jakarta. But that's probably because I've come to enjoy living in Jogja, a small city with a much slower pace than Jakarta. Here, you can feel like you really belong to the place... while in Jakarta it feels like you just sort of being dragged around here and there by the daily rush. I really can't see Jakarta as a place for "living", it just looks like one gigantic workplace to me. You wake up at, what, 5 AM in the morning to prepare to go to work before the traffic gets jammed, then work your ass off through the day, and finally arrive back at home at 8 or 9 PM (if you get lucky), only to repeat it all over again the next day and the day after.

The sad thing is I might have to "live" in there as well in near future, at least for some time, cause all the good career opportunity is practically still centralized in that god forsaken place...

As long as I don't need to stay there until 2025 I guess, heh.

In Jakarta

2008-06-26T11:57:00.003+07:00

Yeah, I was in the capital for a week. Originally part of my school program, visiting photographers' studios and stuff. But since it was only for two days, I felt too lazy to immediately go back to Jogja and decided to stay in Jakarta for a while. Thankfully Pakde Sani generously invited me to stay at his place, and informed me that Erik was also in Jakarta for an assignment. My biggest gratitude for both of them.

Didn't really go anywhere and shoot anything interesting during the stay cause I simply didn't intend to do that. Aside from the aforementioned laziness factor, I stayed partly because I wanted to meet up with a good friend who recently just started to work in Jakarta. Didn't have a chance to see her in Jogja before her departure so I was really hoping that I could visit her in Jakarta. Unfortunately she was still very busy getting everything on its place so it was no good. To be honest I'm still a bit upset about it...

Anyway, did a little bit of assisting during Erik's assignment to shoot a company profile for a lingerie brand. And no, there wasn't any scantily clad ladies involved since he was only shooting their factory and outlet stores... ;) I had to say it was a quite interesting experience, I got to know how a real commercial shooting session looks like and all the things going on behind it.

Also went to Jakarta Fair with some people from FN, I'll post about it later on.

For the time being enjoy some human absence, in colors! ...Most of them anyway.

FKY 2008

2008-06-08T08:26:00.002+07:00

Yesterday saw the opening of the 20th Festival Kesenian Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta Art Festival), which is held from June 7th to July 7th in Vredeburg fortress and Taman Budaya Yogyakarta. Events in the festival range from stage performance by local and international artists, art fair, competitions, and many more. See their official website for more information and schedule if you're interested.

Went to the opening parade and met... well, pretty much everyone I guess. Aul, Alwan, Lucas, Suryo, Erik, Naga & Lucy, Sinyo, just to name a few... as there was perhaps a hundred or so shooters in the street.

Few snaps around the event:

Even when I know that I won't really enjoy shooting the show for the rather predictable scenes in the place where the main attraction is (not to mention limited movement due to the crowding), it's still good enough to just walk around the place and basically look at directions that everyone else isn't looking. You're bound to get some good finds if you're attentive enough.

Blog Review At Jagat-Fotografi

2008-05-28T13:28:00.002+07:00

Fellow Indonesian photoblogger Eki Akhwan recently posted a review of my blog, you can read it here.

I haven't had the chance to meet him in person (I would have, had I come along with Naga, Erik, and the others last semester... exam was taking place at that time, bummer!), but I've known him from FN for quite some time now and it's always refreshing reading the thoughtful analysis in his comments amidst the abundance of drone-like praising comments on that site... so it's quite nice to read what he has in mind about this blog, pointing out things I never notice myself and basically saying things better than I could. ;) Be sure to check his other informative articles, specially for you Indonesian photo enthusiasts who want to read good photography articles in Bahasa Indonesia... we all know how hard it is searching for them on the web.

Smile, You're On Camera!

2008-05-28T11:07:00.004+07:00

When I browse folder upon folder to edit the pictures for my little personal book project (yes, as slow as it may be, it's still going!), it becomes clear that I take pictures of my friends the most when they are smiling or laughing. I might not show them that much here on the blog, but it's a fact. I dunno why, perhaps it's the easiest expression to respond to. Or perhaps that's how I unconsciously want to remember them (or should I say, us), bunch of youngsters in happy times. Or maybe it's just simply human nature, wanting to preserve happiness and forget about sorrow. Hey, people would hire the best photographer possible to shoot their weddings but are there that many people who would do the same for funerals?

Whatever the case may be, the smiles in those aforementioned pictures, most of them were taken in snapshot approach, with them not being concerned of being photographed. They knew the camera's there, but I guess they already got used to it they simply ignored it. Well, most of the times, anyway. But there are also those frames in which they look directly at the camera and can be seen smiling... and somehow some of those smiles got me thinking... what are they really smiling at? the person behind the camera, or the camera itself?

Maybe it's not something to think about so much. People smile in front of camera all the time. Yet it bothers me a bit everytime I see a picture I took of smiling friends who look at the camera with a smile that somehow seems... strange. I think I've read somewhere that someone made extensive research on human facial expressions which can distinguish different kind of smiles based on their physical characteristics, but let's not get too far into that (It feels weird anyway -almost inhumane perhaps- to judge expressions by a set of rules) The point is, I feel that it's a kind of smile which wouldn't be there if I didn't point my camera at them. The one that doesn't come from the heart... you know it's different. I don't like to see such smile in my friends pictures cause... it's like a slap on my face. It makes me wonder whether I might not, after all these years, have been a good friend to them... That's why I love pictures of 'stolen smiles' far better. I might not be the one getting the smile but it's just relieving to know that at least they are real.

In that regard I admire and respect photographers who are able to make people look at their camera yet still manage to make the subjects let out that genuine smile... resulting in intimate portraits of the subjects. The ones that make the viewer want to smile back at the picture. Because to have such 'skill'...that doesn't say something about the shooter as a photographer... It says something about them as a person. As a human being. To have such wonderful personalities, that they are able to make it as if the camera disappear and photograph with only their eyes... I wish I could be like that.

------

Here are some smiles from the quick browse I did in the archive as I mentioned above. Doesn't mean these frames will be included in the final cut of the project, these are just some that I personally like.

And these two aren't from the 'familiar faces' archive (though she's really familiar...! more than the guys in above photos, even) but I just had to include them here since we're talking about smiles. Cause in these... I know, for sure, that she's smiling at the person behind the camera. :)

All this makes me even realize... to be a better photographer, one also has to be a better person.

150408

2008-05-14T07:52:00.001+07:00

Pakde Sani invited me and few others to come along during Sariayu road tour in Ambarukmo Plaza last Sunday, saying we can shoot the show if we want. Wasn't too interested about the event itself, but I wouldn't miss a chance to hang out with the usual gang!

Few snaps:

Make-over and photoshoot session for visitors who want to be "photographed like celebrities". Very serious stuff, definitely.

Erik was shooting the serious stuff as mentioned above.

It's pretty funny to shoot in B/W while the theme of the show was "color trend for 2008", heh.

The star of the show, Dinna Olivia.

Backstage scenes were as much interesting.

Beppo

Familiar Faces, The Book

2008-04-21T08:36:00.004+07:00

Thinking of making a simple photobook out of the snapshots of my close friends I've made over the years, now that they're graduating one by one... meaning I won't be able to see them as much as I used to (and want to) anymore... I don't mean to set the book as a complete and objective "recollection of memories" for each person, as it *is* only seen from my point of view... some guys will definitely appear more frequently than the others, cause I simply saw/met/hung out more with them than I did with others. Does that mean I "betray" some of them? But hasn't photography itself, as my chosen medium to portray them, been (and will always be) a subjective medium anyway?

All that thoughts aside, I'm still torn between making it as good as possible, decent sized with lotsa images (pricey!), or making it affordable so they can also get one if they want to. Or perhaps I can do both since I'm planning to print it through on-demand printing service.

Either way, the editing process is still not going anywhere... damn it I need to make a concrete deadline!

Enter Parkour

2008-04-03T08:46:00.002+07:00

For the last 2 weeks I've been getting in contact with a parkour community in Jogja, shooting their practice session and just basically hanging around with these cool folks.

I still don't know until when I will keep shooting them and how the final output will look like, though an essay of youth urban culture in a city which is still only widely known mostly for its traditional culture is the most likely result I could think of, specially since some of the guys in this community have contacts in other urban culture communities. Perhaps I'll try to send the essay to media later on, I don't know. What I know for sure is, it's real fun to get to know new people, hearing new stories, and most of all getting a feeling that you're working at something with an aim, even when it's still rather abstract in this stage.

Here are some photos:

And for you Indonesian readers who are interested in giving this art a try, go to Parkour Indonesia forum and see if there's a group in your city with whom you can practice together. Having been around these people, I've been thinking to start practicing too...

(In and Around) Grebeg Sekaten

2008-03-21T13:50:00.001+07:00

I went to see Grebeg Sekaten with Aura yesterday. Came a bit late, but since I didn't intend to shoot the procession itself anyway it wasn't a big deal. There were helluva other photographers doing that already. But for you who don't know what Grebeg Sekaten is all about, the most awaited moment is when the palace sends out two gunungan (literally "mountain") consist of foods and vegetables to be given to the people. It is said that those who could get the foods from gunungan will receive blessings, so believers go crazy to snatch anything they could grab from it. Imagine a mosh pit, minus any music.

But anyway, as I said I don't have any pictures of that particular moment but here are few snaps before the event.

Who knows, perhaps in the future I will be known as "that guy who shoots shadows upside down", heh. Nonetheless I'm quite fond of this method, sometimes really interesting shapes do appear.

The light got pretty harsh at times, I loved to search for high contrast scenes with deep shadows during those moments.

And consequently, umbrellas are abundant.

And that would be all, ciao!