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!
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.
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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.
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.
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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
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
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